Vincendi Sequuntur Somnia
by Mrs.MeighanOliverWood
Summary: Percy copes after the war, attempting to pull himself back together after Fred's death shatters his family. PLEASE share your thoughts. This will probably be a longer story. J. K. Rowling is a goddess and owns all of Harry Potter and his world.
1. 1: A New Beginning

**1: A New Beginning**

Voldemort was dead.

So was Fred.

Percy stood in a quiet corner of the Great Hall with his family. Harry Potter, Wizarding World Savior, was resting his head against the chipped wall, while Hermione and Ron seemed to be deep in conversation. His mum was holding George's hand, whispering into his ear. George- _dear god, George_ -Percy's mind began to whirl.

He couldn't stop looking, as if the more intent he stared, the less he would feel. The world began to blur, and a ringing sort of sound gradually grew louder and louder. He could see Charlie looking at him-and- _was his mouth moving_?

Suddenly, it was as though the world had decided to take a turn, and Percy found himself being supported by his father and Bill. Another person was in his line of sight- it was George. His eyes- _Merlin his eyes_ \- they were condemning him. The Weasley family was torn up, because of him, and now nothing would ever be the same.

With that thought, Percy promptly passed out.

He woke to find himself on the floor. "Mum?" Percy croaked, letting his eyes close again as shame and embarrassment flooded his every sense.

"Percy, dear, let's try to sit you up. Madame Pomfrey said you were in shock, so you have to take this calming potion."

His back aching, Percy peeled himself off the floor, to see that he and his mum were the only ones left, besides the few families who had yet to pause their grieving and take the dead home.

"Fr- your brother has been taken home, with the rest."

Percy tore his eyes away from the depressing scene in front of him, to see an even more heartbreaking look. Mrs. Weasley was one of the strongest people he knew, and yet she had this look; a look that was filled with loss and pain and hopelessness.

This was his fault. His arm automatically took the potion from her, and downed it. As a relaxed and calm feeling began to take over his mind, he stood and apparated to the Burrow.

The once cheery and comfortable (if not a tad strange) home felt foreign to him. Percy hesitated at the front door, unsure. With all of his resilience, he entered. There were low voices coming from the kitchen. As he walked in, he could see his father and Bill, along with Ginny and Hermione. The sound of his mum walking in drew their eyes on him, and he could feel his cheeks begin to redden.

"I can't tell you how absolutely sorry I am- I have been awful-there is no excuse-I wouldn't be surprised if you all still hate me- it's all- all my fault and-I can leave- yes, maybe that would be best-", he stammered, stumbling over his words, slowly backing out.

Throughout the tirade, his family had looks ranging from confusion to surprise, and _was that pity?_ Suddenly his back hit a rather large object, and he whipped around, his wand flying to Charlie's head.

"Er, sorry." Percy said, lowering his wand.

"Percy, what are you talking about?" Molly asked, confusion etched on her face. "None of us hate you. Whatever is bothering you can be worked out; just…..don't leave."

Percy scanned the solemn faces around him, and nodded. "I'm sorry." Ginny tentatively reached out, and first the first time in years, he found himself to be the center of an extremely warm, and tight family hug. More than a few faces were wet.

Harry and Ron came running down the stairs, faces frantic. "Mum, George-" Ron panted, "He just left." "We figured he went to the flat on top his shop, but his room is - HIS body is still wrapped up in his room though." Molly's face whitened by a few shades, but she remained perfectly still.

"He will be fine. We- we shouldn't search. At least, not yet. He most likely needs time away-away from it all." The room broke out into quiet talking, and she sat down, Arthur's hand grasping her shoulder. Percy squeezed his eyes closed- _If only- if only- NO. Mustn't think that_. H opened them and shook his head at himself.

After what seemed an eternity, Ginny slowly got up and went to the kitchen and began to cook dinner, while Ron and Harry broke into conversation with Bill over the reconstruction of Hogwarts. Hermione was waving her wand over a nasty looking cut on Charlie that had been over looked. It was so surreal that Voldemort was dead, and yet the tension in the air was palpable, as though danger was still everywhere.

Every nerve in Percy's body was on fire, and he sunk to the floor, staring at the fire. He glanced at Harry, who had a deep look of sorrow etched into every curve of his face. Harry must hate him. George probably wishes him dead; and if that was the case, so be it. The gentle curving flames in the fireplace flickered, the shadows ever moving on the brick and on his face. Percy ignored the burning of a few sparks when they landed on him. He couldn't feel anything. Because if he could, he would drown in all of the guilt, and the remorse, and the sadness and the guiltandthesorrowand-

"Percy?"

Hermione had been watching Percy for a while now, and he seemed as though he was in another world. Suddenly, he had begun to lose all the blood in his face, his hands tightening their hold on the carpet, and a violent shaking began to emanate from him. She quickly rushed over to him.

"Percy?" She said, slowly placing her hand on his back. He seemed to snap out of a trance, his eyes refocusing, and landing on her.

"Nothing to worry about, just thinking about work and such, and-"

Hermione arched her eyebrow at him, her similarity to McGonagall almost shocking. It had its intended effect, for Percy had sputtered into silence.

"Ginny finished dinner, if you would like to join?" She asked imperiously, as though she hadn't noticed his momentary lapse of sanity.

Percy mutely shook his head, and followed her.

He stayed silent throughout the meal. Little bits of information made it through his cloudy mind- Fr- His brother's funeral would be tomorrow, and afterwards would be the Lupin's. There were a few others occurring throughout the next week, but he didn't recognize names, although they had a deep affect on some of the younger ones, namely the trio and Ginny.

Plate still full, he pushed himself away from the table. As he was halfway out the door, he froze. Percy hadn't been exactly smart when he defected from the corrupted Ministry, and his flat was demolished.

He turned, and suddenly noticed that a majority of the room was staring at him.

"Mum?" He said, his voice flat and monotone. "I- I haven't got anywhere to stay anymore- and –and…"

His mum practically threw her chair in a hurry, saying "Well, let's make up a bed, you obviously can stay here, so stop with this rubbish of you not being wanted!"

Percy watched her, bewildered, and quickly ascended the stairs after her. Even though sleep wouldn't come, at least he had somewhere to stay. After the funerals, he would have to find somewhere else though, since it would probably lead to major problems.


	2. 2: Funerals

Percy jolted upward with a yell, tears streaming in his eyes. There was a slight tremor in his body, and a line of sweat rolling down his spine. He was, for a brief moment, pleased that he had put up a silencing spell, although that brief moment was over as quickly as it began in his grief. During the two hours of sleep he had managed, Fred's laughter had haunted his mind. The eyes of Pius Thicknesse and Rufus Scrimgeour had mocked him mercilessly, and he watched as they laughed, and his memory of Fred's death repeated itself over and over again.

He moaned, the sound muffled by his pillow. As he blindly grasped for his glasses, his lungs began to fill with air. Putting the glasses on, he glanced at the clock. 4:27. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and placed his elbows on his knees. _Today. It's today_. The grief returned, only to be stopped by a creaking noise outside of his door.

Percy threw a robe on and grabbed his wand. He crept down the stairs, fear tearing at his senses.

"Hello?" He cautiously said, peering around the landing. Glancing at the kitchen, he nearly jumped at the sight of George.

"What happened, where were you?"

George shook his head, refusing to speak. Percy stood for a second, then began to bustle about, making tea. As he finished pouring it, he carefully placed a cup in front of George, and sat across from him. The silence grew thick.

Minutes passed Clearing his throat, Percy said, "I best go back upstairs then."

His chair scraped the floor loudly as he pushed himself back. Carefully placing his cup in a sink, he heard aver y quiet sound behind him.

"Sorry?"

"Stay."

Percy sat down again, a determined look on his face.

They sat like that for what seemed an eternity, until Molly came downstairs. Without saying a word, she began to make breakfast. As the kitchen became more crowded, the silence stayed.

The silence wasn't filled with tension, and it wasn't forced. It was almost companionable, understanding. Their family was torn and scarred, but not ready to give up.

The mass of black was quite large; Percy didn't even know there were this many people left in the British wizarding community. George acknowledged each and every person though, even if he merely nodded, and had yet to speak since he had asked Percy to stay with him that morning.

The wizard who was leading the funeral was very squat, and had a high pitched voice that set every nerve in his body on fire. Percy focused on it, as it was the only thing that kept his mind from going spare with grief. As the man finished, Harry walked up to the front, clutching Ginny's hand. Ron and Hermione had closely followed, but seemed disinclined to stand before everyone.

Harry took a shuddering breath and look up. His face was streaked with tears, and his voice cracked as he began,

"F-Fred Weasley was one of the greatest people I knew. He and his brother were one of the sole reasons I even made it through the war."

Percy's eyes widened with shock. _What_?

"This war didn't start in my 5th year. It started the moment I stepped into Hogwarts; a war I wasn't even aware of. You – you see, Voldemort was always present- present in those he had left behind, those who believed in him. This caused a lot of tension, and quite a few events that left people wondering if I had gone mad."

The crowd was filled with quiet talking as he said it. But Percy remembered- when the students had ostracized Harry more than a handful of times. Harry had taken on a look of steely determination, his voice becoming stronger and his eyes meeting the crowds'.

"Fred was one of the few who never lost faith in me. He was always able to stay optimistic, until the very end. No matter what had happened, or what others said about me, he never cared and always stood up for me. But that wasn't the only thing he did. Throughout the darkest times, even when it put him in danger, Fred was optimistic for all of us. His shop, and the radio station he was a part of! Those things were one of the few things that held us together! Even though it made him a bigger target, even though he had little to gain, Fred was always selfless."

The crowd was now eerily silent. Even the tears were silent, falling and falling. Percy felt as though he hadn't taken a breath in ages, his chest was so tight.

"We can't be sad though. Fred would have hated that. He was always creating smiles and joy, and wouldn't want us to waste away. So we will remember those good times- all the jokes, the support and the love he had for others- it will be what holds us all together. As a great wizard once said, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the lights." Fred isn't able to turn on the lights anymore. It's our turn."

Tears were streaming down his face, as Ginny led him and the others to the casket for their final goodbyes. As Percy finally reached it, his insides seemed to crumble.

 _This was all his fault. His fault. His fault. His fault Fred was dead. His fault everyone was in pain. His. Fault._

Time faded away, until a small hand woke Percy from the blinding grief that had enveloped him. His mum led him away, along with the rest of the Weasley brood. It wasn't until they were all crammed into the kitchen ( _How did they get there again_?) that he noticed George was gone.

Ron's voice asked exactly that, and everyone seemed to snap to life. Bill and Charlie had gone to check Diagon Alley, while his parents checked the gravesite. Harry was checking Hogwarts and Hogsmeade with Ginny, and Ron insisted on looking at the hospital. Percy had been asked to stay, as though they were afraid that when he left he wouldn't come back. He had wandered into the den, mind miles away as he stared into the fire.

 _George was gone. Fred was gone. Would anything be the same again? It WAS HIS FAULT._

A single tear made a track down his face. It was rather a good thing he was alone- as the look on his face would have made even the most hardened and weathered men cry as well. Percy could only wonder, only think-

 _What now?_


	3. 3: A Ray of Hope

Chapter 3: A Ray of Hope

Percy had no idea how long he sat by the fire, but it was the early hours of morning when he seemed to come back to his senses. He was curled into a ball on his bed, with a vague recollection of being levitated up the stairs. The sun was starting to peek through his window, and every dust mote was visible in its rays.

Slowly getting up, Percy began to get dressed. The need to go somewhere, anywhere, was so intense. _But where?_ He crept out of the house, and apparated without thinking. Probably not the safest idea, and yet, after what everyone had been through it seemed small and inconsequential.

The sight of Hogwarts was depressing. The towers had fallen, and not all the smoke had gone. No one was outside, probably not even inside, as anyone who wasn't found didn't exactly have a body to bury. Cautiously toeing the rubble, he made his way through one of the courtyards.

This one in particular smelled. The stench was not dissimilar to that of his potions supplies, but the feeling in the air was of grief and hatred. All the magic that had been there through his childhood, the magic that had carried hopes and wishes and carefree feelings, had been tainted.

Percy continued into the school, noting the various areas that were particularly bad. The floors were scarred by curses, and some places had looked as though the stone had been scooped up with a large ladle, and then splattered with blood. A particular wall had parts of- someone- and Percy exhaled through his mouth, staring at it.

He suddenly found himself looking down his arm at his extended wand. "Scourgify," he said, not sure why it bothered him so much. A little bit of the gore peeled off, but there was still more and the stone looked practically stained.

"Scourgify." It was still red. _Why was it still so dirty, so wrong?_

" Scourgify….. scourgify, SCOURGIFY!" he raged. Nothing mattered but that spot, as though that bit of wall had been the singular problem in the ruined school.

His magic, still fairly tired from the battle, poured out of him with a numbing tingling, and the blood seemed to whip off of the stone. Panting, a sense of peace reached him. _How odd, to feel as though there is something I could do._ He stayed a second longer, until he wrenched his eyes off the wall to apparate to the burrow.

As he raced in, he was greeted with the exclamations. Several people stood up, crying his name, but Ginny stood out as she furiously said, "Where the bloody hell were you?" Her flaming hair seemed to spark with her anger.

Stunned, Percy stopped. "What do you mean? I haven' t been gone for longer than an hour- you wouldn't believe it- I've had an idea-"

Harry had joined the group at that point, and he stepped forward. "Percy, it's past 5. You were gone all day."

Percy's eyes widened and he turned to see the sun setting.

"That can't possibly be… correct?"

He turned, the confusion evident in his eyes.

"I've been to Hogwarts," he said, noting that his family seemed to perk up a bit at the name.

"Did you seen any sign of him? Of George?" His mum said, wringing out the towel she held.

"No, but I have had an idea. What efforts have there been to fix up the school?"

The second half of his question was mostly aimed at his father, who had been in correspondence with those left from the rest of the Ministry.

"Percy, no one is even thinking of that right now. Without our government running, without our shops open and with so few left, it will be a colossal task to even think about the school being up again in August, let alone convincing parents that it is safe."

Percy took a step back, bumping into the door.

"But… I was there! It is possible. We just need more wands!"

Arthur sighed, "Yes, but all those who are capable need to help with rebuilding the rest of our society."

Ron suddenly pushed his chair back. "What about those who are still in school? The kids who have learned enough to help? It isn't as though The Misuse of Magic Office is going to give up a fight, considering they will be too busy with the rebuild. The kids, say 13 and up, can all do a reparo. And we may need physical workers as well, that are young and fit." His ear grew red as everyone peered at him.

"Ron, you are absolutely right. Especially with all the magical parents needing to help, the kids are going to be by themselves all summer, with no one to cope and recover emotionally with. The children with muggle relations have all been on the run- and have lost family members as well. We wouldn't just be rebuilding the school, we would be healing." Hermione thoughtfully said.

She reached into a ratty beaded pocketbook, and pulled out some parchment and a quill. After digging around some more, she pulled out her ink as well, and began to scribble her ideas down.

Percy watched Arthur address the room, "I need to owl some people. This-this could work." He looked squarely at Percy, and Percy could still see the grief- oh that horrible eating feeling of pain- "Percy, we need you. You can't spend your time only at Hogwarts. You are one of the few left who knew the working of the Ministry in and out."

Percy nodded, a sharp incline of his head.

After a quiet dinner, Percy retired to his room. Plans had to be made.

He pulled some supplies and began to make a list.

1\. Owl those who are left, and start up a round the clock cleanup team.

2\. Owl Professor McGonagall.

3\. Harry and Ron will lead those, Hermione helping the younger ones emotionally.

4\. Tents? For long term stay?

5\. Set up schedule to also go to Ministry.

The way Percy saw it, the busier he was, the less the grief would eat at him. The constant pain in his chest, the anxiety wrapping around his throat, the urge to throw up at nothing- it had to be handled. If he could just handle it, learn to work around it- everything would be better.

As he settled himself into his bed, he prepared himself for yet another painful nightmare. His last conscious thought was or Fred's final laugh.


End file.
